USAF and RAF Tanker Racetracks and ISR Platforms visible on flightradar

Hi Folks,

Just doing some light reading and discovered this article in The Aviationist - Link to The Aviationist

Several readers have sent in screen grabs of the racetracks of USAF and RAF tankers and MC-12 ISR aircraft over Syria. It appears that the crew have forgotten to turn off transponders whilst on operations in theatre, this must be an absolute gift to a guerilla warfare group not possessing any early warning systems themselves.

I can picture it now - Somewhere in Syria "Hey Mustafa, my iPhone says that there is a tanker and ISR aircraft orbiting our location, perhaps we should think about moving the Terry wagons back in to the cave, incoming strike package looks likely even though I've not seen any tweets about it"

OPSEC fail?

Cheers
Robbie

a reply to: stratsys-sws

guerrilla*

Sorry, really interesting post, just a pet peeve!

This has been an ongoing issue for years. During Libya E-3 and occasionally an RC-135 popped up on tracking sites. Oddly the E-6B has almost always been able to be tracked.

It's still fairly new and until they add it to the checklist to turn off Mode S it's going to be forgotten. Hopefully they'll do it before an aircraft is shot down. It only seems to be happening in fairly low threat environments like Libya and shrouds Syria though.

a reply to: Zaphod58

It happens many other places as well.

It's surprising that someone important hasn't caught on with this yet and done something about it. Even in certain groups of the military that have really good OPSEC procedures.

a reply to: justwanttofly

Yeah I'm sure it does, but I haven't seen it happen somewhere like right off the Russia or China border. That would make me nervous.

Although not in an active war zone, the Russians seam to have this issue as well.

theaviationist.com...

theaviationist.com...

originally posted by: gfad
a reply to: stratsys-sws

guerrilla*

Sorry, really interesting post, just a pet peeve!

Thanks for spotting that gfad...it's also a pet peeve of mine....all I can say is "damn you spellcheck" I was too busy looking for 's' being replaced by 'z'

a reply to: Zaphod58

It should be a simple change of SOP issued to the crew to be followed when entering theatre. If the crew are being complacent just because it's Syria and not China I'd be very worried about what else is being missed.

I'm sure there will be some rather upset mission planners and commanders around having seen this.

While interesting for aviation enthusiasts is it really of use to ISIS or whoever on the ground
the tracks are of tankers and CnC Aircraft which orbit at a good altitude do they not?

Certainly well out of range of small arms fire.
do the "terrorist" groups actually possess the weapons (and skills to operate them)
to be any threat to high flying support aircraft?

a reply to: ShayneJUK

I think the implication is that if opponents can see that tankers, or ISR platforms, are airbourne over (or near) an area then it is a sign that an attack is imminent. Flightaware etc. show live data. It wouldn't take a genius to keep an eye on the live departures from a relevant operating base for tankers taking off 24/7.

a reply to: ShayneJUK

Because if an MC-12 or RC-135 is orbiting the area, you know it's soaking up every radio and cell signal there is anywhere near by. So if they see that they go emissions silent and start using couriers, and we lose valuable Intel.

A load of SAMs went missing in Libya but I'm pretty certain these planes altitude is far higher than the ceiling of these weapons

a reply to: Whereismypassword

They were MANPADS, not true SAMs. They're only good up to about 18,000 feet at the highest.

400 were stolen:-/

That's a crazy amount,wonder what group are storing them for future use now

Yes i suppose i had assumed there was almost always a craft on station supporting intel gathering activity's
so the tracks on sites like this were used deliberately to push the point to the folks on the ground that
they are being watched

as for the Libyan Sams as i queried they may have the kit but are they functional and can they
actually deploy and operate the system before a combat A/C makes it a heap of scrap and body parts?

a reply to: ShayneJUK

They're all shoulder fired, which means of fairly limited ability. All fairly short range and low altitude. They might tag a fighter on a close air support mission but that would be the best they could do.

An Italian Air Force tanker is currently showing up on flightradar over Iraq

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: ShayneJUK

They're all shoulder fired, which means of fairly limited ability. All fairly short range and low altitude. They might tag a fighter on a close air support mission but that would be the best they could do.

Also very useful against choppers!

ShayneJUK, the threat isn't to the tracked aircraft, it's to the mission. Loss of the element of surprise, increasing risk of retaliation, loss of sigint, there really is very little to be gained by letting your enemy know that tankers and ISR assets are orbiting their location.

a reply to: stratsys-sws

And all for the sake of just not flipping a switch....

originally posted by: gfad
a reply to: stratsys-sws

And all for the sake of just not flipping a switch....

Exactly! Seems rather unusually incompetent......unless they have a legitimate reason of course!